The Aftermath
by lostboyxan
Summary: Following the Fire Nation Royal Family as Zuko and Katara raise eight little princes and princesses of their own, keeping both peace and balance in their own family as well as in the rest of the world. [Zutara & Kids]


**The Aftermath**

**Summary: **_Following the Fire Nation Royal Family as Zuko and Katara raise eight little princes and princesses of their own, keeping both peace and balance in their own family as well as in the rest of the world._

**Rating:** _T_

**Major Characters: **_Zuko, Katara, and their kids (from oldest to youngest): Ursan, Eiji & Koji, Kaede, Rina, Iroh Jr., Tetsu, and Kaiya_

**Pairings: **_Zuko/Katara, Aang/Toph, Sokka/Suki_

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters! I only own my OCs! All rights go to the respective owners._

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_**Chapter 1 - The Prince and the Fire Lord**_

**August 104 AG.**

Zuko was lost in thought as his eyes scanned the papers in front of him. He wasn't actually processing any of what it said; he was too busy worrying about the meeting that was happening in a couple of hours. He was supposed to meet with some of the sages and royal advisors to talk about the future heir to the Fire Nation, who was expected to be born sometime in the next month.

Since Zuko had married Katara, a waterbender, there was a constant debate about whether the children of a Fire Nation man and a Water Tribe woman would be suitable heirs to the Fire Nation throne. It had been difficult enough convincing the sages to let Zuko marry Katara in the first place, so he had presented it as a political marriage — a way to show that the Fire Nation was willing to become allies with the rest of the world.

Now, however, the sages were worried about the future heir to the Fire Nation throne being a _waterbender_. Every Fire Lord in the history of the Fire Nation had been a firebender, and it would surely cause an uproar if that were to change so suddenly, especially if the Fire Lord bent a completely different element altogether. On top of all that, how well could a waterbender rule a country based so heavily on the element of fire?

There was a knock on Zuko's study door. He barely even registered it until a small voice called out, "Zuzu?"

The Fire Lord smiled softly to himself. "Come in," he said. The door slowly creaked open and the head of a young girl popped into the room.

"What's up, Kiyi?" He asked his youngest sister. It wasn't unusual for her to end up in Zuko's study — sometimes she would just wander in there when she was bored and she'd sit and talk to Zuko about whatever was on her mind while her brother was trying to focus. Zuko assumed this would be the same.

"Uh," the girl began, pushing herself further into the room. "Mommy said she, uh, she wanted me to come get you."

Zuko frowned. "Is it important?" he asked. "I'm a little busy." _Yeah, busy doing nothing,_ he thought to himself.

Kiyi shrugged, fidgeting with the tiny bird figurine that sat on the otherwise empty corner of his desk. She had made the figurine for him for his birthday two years ago — with her mother's help, of course.

"Well," he said, dragging out the word in hopes of getting more information out of the six year old girl. "Did Mom happen to tell you what she wanted me for?"

The girl shook her head. "She was talking to Katara. Then something happened. I don't know what. Then Mom said to come get you. So I'm here," Kiyi idly explained before she pursed her lips for a moment. "I think… she said something about the baby."

At those last few words, Zuko had abandoned his paperwork and bolted out of the room before Kiyi could even notice he'd stood up.

Zuko shook his head in disbelief as he raced down the halls of the palace. If Katara was in labor, then she could have already had the baby in the amount of time it took for Kiyi to tell him even a sliver of information. Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but he still wasn't entirely sure how these things worked.

As he approached the room that the midwives had been preparing for the birth that shouldn't have happened until _next month_, Zuko noticed two guards standing outside the doors, and he _knew_ his assumption was true. The new royal baby would be born into the world much sooner than expected. Hopefully.

Just as Zuko came within arm's reach of the doors, the two guards crossed their spears over each other, barring Zuko from entering the room.

"What is the meaning of this? Let me in!" He shouted, but the guards remained stoic.

"I apologize, Fire Lord," one of the guards began. "We cannot let you in."

Zuko was furious. "You must be forgetting your place. I am the _Fire Lord_," he growled. "Now _let me in_."

The other guard spoke up now. "Apologies again, Your Majesty, but we're under strict orders to not let you inside."

"And who gave you these orders?" Zuko asked in a mocking tone.

"Princess Ursa instructed us to make sure you wait out here until told otherwise."

Zuko's eyes widened, then he let out a frustrated sigh. Princess Ursa, huh? He felt like he had been betrayed by his own mother. His wife was _giving birth_ and he wasn't there to witness it. What was he supposed to do, just wait patiently in the hall? Ridiculous.

"Zuko," a familiar voice called from behind him. He turned and was greeted by his grinning Uncle Iroh.

"Uncle?" Zuko felt himself relax just from seeing the man. "What are you doing here?"

"I was already on my way for a surprise visit, and when I got here, I heard that Lady Katara had gone into labor! You must be thrilled, nephew," Iroh grinned, pulling the younger man into a hug.

"I guess," Zuko shrugged. "But the baby wasn't supposed to be born until next month — and I'm not even allowed to go in! This is ridiculous, what if something happens? I don't know who's in there or if I can _really_ trust any of the midwives. There have been _a lot_ of attempts on our lives, you know? Agni, maybe having a kid wasn't a good idea, we should have waited, now they could—"

"Zuko," Iroh said firmly, placing his hands on his nephew's shoulders, forcing him to look his uncle in the eyes. Zuko could see just how tired the man was — it must have been a long journey from Ba Sing Se. "Come, let's sit."

Zuko took a deep breath and nodded, following his uncle to a large sofa only a few feet from the room. He could hear women shouting over each other in the room, then he heard his wife's screaming and labored breathing. His heart pounded in his chest and he was tempted to burst through the doors — to hell with the guards.

"I understand how you feel, nephew." Iroh's voice pulled Zuko from his thoughts. "You're scared you'll lose your baby, and your wife."

Zuko took a shaky breath at the thought of losing Katara and their baby as Iroh continued. "But Katara is a strong woman, and I know that baby will be, too. After all," the man grinned. "he _is_ my grandnephew."

Zuko's head snapped up. "He?" Zuko repeated, ignoring his uncle's complacent comment. "How do you know it's a boy?" He and Katara had only ever talked about the baby's gender a few times, and most of the times she would claim that she knew the baby would be a boy because of how she was carrying — it was some old wives' tale she had heard when she was a young girl in the Southern Water Tribe. But, she had never told anyone else about it.

"I'm an old man, Zuko, I've seen much of the world, both this one and the Spirit World. I know much about them," Iroh sighed. Just then, small, irregular footsteps could be heard from down the hall. Both men turned their heads to see Kiyi skipping down the hallway towards her brother and uncle.

"Uncle Iroh!" She grinned widely once she noticed the man, breaking into a sprint and throwing herself into his arms as soon as she was close enough. Her excited green eyes peered up into the older man's tired amber ones. "Did you come to see the baby?"

Iroh nodded and opened his mouth to respond, but a loud, piercing scream filled the hallway, one that could only belong to a certain Water Tribe woman in labor. Kiyi grabbed her brother's hand, forcing him to look at her. She could see the worry in his eyes, so she decided to put on a brave face. "She'll be fine, Zuzu! I know it!" The young girl grinned and did her best to hide the fear in her voice. She didn't want Katara to die! She liked Katara, she made her brother happy.

Zuko took a deep breath and returned the smile, nodding. "Yeah. You're right. She'll be fine."

"If the baby's a firebender, I can teach them everything I know! I'm getting a lot better," Kiyi grinned, producing a small flame in her hand for only a moment before extinguishing it. "See?"

Zuko let out an amused huff. "You certainly are getting better. Some more practice and you may end up even better than me," he said, returning her grin.

The girl's eyes lit up. "Really, you think so?"

Iroh couldn't help but smile at the exchange between the two. Zuko would certainly be an excellent father.

Another scream, then a small cry could be heard from the other side of the door. It was different, Zuko didn't recognize it as Katara's or anyone else's, so it must have been—

The door suddenly opened and the two guards parted, allowing Princess Ursa to step out of the room. Zuko stood, his hand still in Kiyi's grasp, as he tried to read his mother's face. She looked exhausted, but she still smiled softly at her family — especially at her son.

"It's a boy," she said eventually. "You can come in and see him, if you'd like."

Zuko wasted no time as he rushed to push through the doors, but he halted at the sight in front of him.

Katara was lying on the bed, propped up by more pillows than he could count, and covered by a red blanket. Zuko could tell she was worn out, but he quickly diverted his attention to the small bundle she held in her arms. His baby. _Their_ _baby_.

Katara glanced up at her husband and smiled, reaching her hand out and beckoning for him to come closer. Zuko stepped next to the bed and leaned down to kiss Katara's forehead before looking closer at his son.

The boy was beautiful. He had a light complexion and dark brown hair that contrasted perfectly against his skin. His eyes were closed, but Zuko knew they were probably just as beautiful as the rest of him.

"Isn't he gorgeous?" Katara asked, and Zuko nodded, unable to say anything. "I think he'll definitely be a firebender."

"Maybe," Zuko breathed, finally able to speak again after the initial shock of meeting his newborn son.

"Do you want to hold him?" Katara asked. She sounded so worn out, Zuko knew she'd probably fall asleep as soon as he took the baby. She needed the sleep anyway, she deserved it. So he nodded, gently taking the baby from her arms. He cradled the boy, making sure his head rested nicely in the crook of his father's elbow. Zuko decided to sit down in the nearest chair, just to ensure he wouldn't drop his own son. With his free hand, he stroked the boy's cheek with his thumb and smiled down at him. In the distance, Zuko could hear the palace bells chiming, signalling the birth of the Fire Nation heir. Zuko marvelled at the suddenness of it all. Just a few hours ago, he was working on boring paperwork in his office, and now, he was a father.

_He was a father. He had a son._

It wasn't long before Iroh and Kiyi entered the room as well, hoping to see the new royal baby. Zuko smiled at the two, inviting them to get a closer look at the baby. Kiyi pushed herself onto the arm of the chair Zuko was sitting on, wrapping an arm around his neck as she got a closer look at the baby.

"Is he sleeping?" She whispered. Zuko nodded as Iroh stepped around to the other side of the chair and peered down at the boy.

"He looks just like you did when you were a baby." Iroh grinned. "Doesn't he, Ursa?"

Zuko glanced up at his mother, who had a warm smile on her face. "He sure does."

"Does this mean I'm an auntie now?" Kiyi asked excitedly, rocking back and forth as she held onto the chair.

"Careful, Kiyi," Zuko warned, not wanting to wake up his son too soon. "And yes, you're an aunt now. This is your nephew."

Kiyi giggled for a moment before stopping, a curious look on her face. "Hey, Zuzu, what's his name? He's a prince, right? It's gotta be a princely name!"

"A princely name, huh?" Katara asked from her bed. She was starting to fall asleep, but she didn't want to miss this moment. "Well, he does have a name. Right, Zuko?"

Zuko smiled at her and then back down at their baby boy. "Yes," he whispered softly. They had discussed this name for months, and now it just seemed so _right_. He glanced up for a moment, meeting his mother's eyes before returning his gaze to his son.

"Prince Ursan."

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**A/N:** _So, this is just the start of a more domestic Zutara fanfiction. I love writing about them with kids, and if you've followed me for a while, you know I've done it a lot. You may have even seen a story or two just like this before I deleted them. I have a good feeling about this one, though. I spent nearly two days developing these kids — some old, some new. I hope you all enjoy! Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


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